Saving for Your Soul: Taking Your Dream Vacation

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1. Leave the kids at home. You knew what you were signing up for when you decided to start a family; kids require a lot of attention. But that doesn’t mean every vacation has to be for the whole family. If you can manage to pawn the kids off on your parents or other relatives for a few days, you’ll save about half on your vacation right off the bat. Plus, it couldn’t hurt to have a few days of fun and romance with your honey to rekindle the spark that can sometimes get smothered by work, kids, and life in general.
2. Travel off-season.You know the summer months and the holidays are not only the busiest travel time; they’re also the most expensive. So look for off-season deals during months when travel is low. You’ll find great prices on hotels, airline tickets, and every other aspect of the tourist trade and you won’t have to fight the madding crowd. Also, getting time off may be easier when no one else at the office is planning a trip, and working through the holidays when everyone else is vacationing could net you some much-needed holiday pay!
3. Talk to a travel agent. Most people skip going to travel agents because they can seek out great deals online for free, while travel agents charge a fee. However, it’s an option worth looking into for a couple of reasons. The first is that these people have inside contacts that may deliver on even better deals than you can find on your own, meaning that with the fee you’ll pay the same amount or less. But even if you pay a few dollars more, you’re receiving added value because you don’t have to deal with the headaches of searching for deals and coordinating bookings.
4. Assess your budget. You can save a lot by traveling off-season and dropping the kids with their grandparents for a few days, but you’re still going to have to pay for your trip, which means saving up some money. If you’re planning a vacation early (six months to a year ahead) you should have plenty of time to save up. Simply make some space in your budget to save and then leave the money sitting in your savings account until you’re ready to hit the tarmac.
5. Pay down debt. If you’re in the hole (and you have been for a while), it’s no wonder you can’t seem to save for a vacation. But instead of declaring bankruptcy or seeking out credit cards for poor credit (which will land you in even more trouble, most likely), start finding ways to pay down your credit card debt. Cut up all cards except the one with the lowest rate and see if you can consolidate. Then cut your spending. If you stick to a plan you’ll quickly pay down debt, improve your credit score, and find yourself one step closer to your dream vacation.